Straw-stacker



(No Model.)

' W.A. HINKLE. STRAW STAGKER.V

Patented Apr.v 2, 1895.

'In venan m: nomas Pneus coA @How-Uma., wAsHmm'oN. g4 c,

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. HINKLE, OF FORSYTH, ILLINOIS.

STRAW-STAGKER.

ySIPECIFI(`JATIO1\T forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,951, datedApril 2, 1895. Application lfiled J' uly 23, 1894- Serial No. 518,299.(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it' known that I, WILLIAM A. HINKLE, of Forsyth, in the county ofMacon and State of Illinois, have invented certain new andusefulImprovements in Straw-Stackers, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention is designed to provide means for building a straw stackwith a wind blast. It is exemplied in the structure hereinafterdescribed, and it is defined in the appended claims.

In machines of this class it isdesirable to vary the distance of thedischarge of the stacker tube from the thrasher in order that the strawmay be deposited at different distances from the thrasher, and be heldunder control until it is deposited. Attempts have heretofore been madeto accomplish this result by constructing the tube of telescopingsections, but this plan is subject to two serious objections: First, thetube so constructed is so limber as to require a special frame, ortrack, to stiffen and support it; and, second, the weight of theoverlapping tube sections and the supporting frame is so great as torequire specially strong and comparatively expensive supports, and tointerfere with free manipulation of the stacker. These obj ections Iovercome in the present invention by making the body of the tube of astiff, continuous piece, and by making the side provided with thedischarge opening slidable lengthwise of the body. vThis makes a track,or supporting frame, entirely needless, lightens the tube materially,and facilitates the shifting of the discharge opening by providing forthe shifting of one side instead of the entire body of the tube.

Another feature essential to strawstackers is the 'elevating of thedischarge end of the lstacker as the stack rises, and I find itadvantageous to provide for raising the ent-ire tube in order that thestack may be built up symmetrically close to the thrasher. This result Iaccomplish by means of the contrivance hereinafterv particularlyspecified.

In the drawings forming part of this speciiication, Figure lis a sideelevation of stacking mechanism constructed 'in accordance 5o with myinvention. Fig. 2 is a vertical, solid line, section through the fan andtheconveyer tubes. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line X in Fig. 1.'Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line Y in Fig. l.

The rear end of a thrasher frame is indicated generally at A in Fig. 1,and B and C represent the bottom and top, respectively, of the thrasher.The fan 1 is placed in the lower part of the rear end of the thrasher,in position to receive the straw, and its discharge neck 2`terminatesupwardly. A turn-table 4 is supported on the bottom of the thrasherframe, around the discharge of the fan, and ball bearings are preferablyused to facilitate turning the table. A frame composed of vertical rods22 extends upward from the turntable, on which it is mounted, and,passing through the top of the thrasher, terminates in head piece 23.Above the head piece, which is of annular conformation, extends theframe 24, and pulleys 25 and 26 are secured to the top of the last namedframe.

The bearing ring 7, seen in plan in Fig. 3, is secured to the rods 22 inline with the top of the thrasher, and such ring is preferably suppliedwith rollers 7i", which bear against the perimeter of the circularaperture in the 'thrasher top, and stay the frame against tiltingwithout interfering with its rotation on the vertical axis. The verticaltube section 3 fits over the discharge opening of the fan and extendsupward therefrom to, or nearly to, the top of the thrasher. The verticaltube section 5 extends downward from above the thrasher and encirclessection 3. It is curved at its upper end, as indicated at 6, and itconnects pivotally with the stacker tube 9 at l0. The'stacker tube ispeculiar in that its bottom side, or the part thereof in which thedischarge opening is formed, is slidable lengthwise of the tube, inorder that the straw may be discharged at different distances from thethrasher. It is preferably made somewhat as shown in Fig. 4,where thebody is represented as made in two parts each having a vertical,longitudinal flange which, when the parts are joined together throughthe flanges, form thevertical stiffening rib, or back bone 9a. The edgesof the body of the stacker tube are flanged outward and then upward, andin roo the troughs 9b thus formed rollers 31 are placed. The movablesection, or sections, of the bottom are flanged upward, inward anddownward to conform to the flanges of the body parts, and their edgesrest on rollers 31. If more than one sliding bottom section is used thelower one will be flanged to occupy the space left,in Fig. 4, betweenthe ilanges of the bottom section 13 and the flanges of the body; sothat the two sections may slide one past the other. tions-12 and 13 areboth slidable, while section 1l is permanent, or stationary.

The discharge opening 14: is formed in section 13, and the end closure15 is secured to, or formed on the same section. Section 12 is adaptedto slide under section 11, and section 13 to slide under section 12. Thesections are reversely flanged at conjoining ends, as indicated in Fig.2, so that one may not move entirely past another, and stop 1S compelssection 12 to slide backward with section 13 whenever the inner end of13 engages the stop.

A windlass 19 may be placed at about the position indicated, and besupplied with ropes 2O and 21, one of which runs around pulley 16, atthe end of tube 9, and connects with the outer end of section 13, whilethe other runs directly to the inner end of the same section. In orderto make the pull on section 13 equal on both sides thereof, or inlinewith its axis, and thereby avoid cramping, the hitch of line 20 may bein the center of the section, and the pulley 16 in the same line, whiletwo lines 2l maybe employed, one on each side of the tube, and theirconjoint hitch may be in the center of the section, or they may hitchseparately at equal distances from thc center. Windlass 27 has a rope 29which runs over pulley 25 and connects with the stacker tube. Vindlass28 has a rope 30 which runs through block 26 and connects with the upperend of vertical section 5. The turn-table may be rotated by means of thegearing usually employed for that purpose, or the vertical frame may beotherwise turned in any desirable manner.

In operating the device the straw is taken into the fan and carriedthrough the vertical tubes and the stacker tube as indicated by arrowsin Fig. 1. The stacker is swung from side to side on the vertical pivotin the cus tomary manner, and with any desired means, and its outer endmaybe raised and lowered, with pivot 10 for a center, by means ofwindlass 27 and rope 29. In addition to these motions, the dischargeopening of the tube may be moved to and from the stacker, by means ofropes 20 and 21,and,as the stack rises and requires special dressing atits inner end, the 'vertical section 5 may be elevated by windlass 28and rope 30, thereby carrying the stacker tube into the position shownby dotted lines in Fig. l. Tube 9 is very light and sti, and itsslidable bottom sections are easily shifted. The extensible verticalpor- In this particular case sec4 tion of the conveyer enables thestacker td shape the stack properly in close proximity to the thrasher,and the lightness of the swinging tube is of great help in permittingthe vertical adjustment.

In order to show an operative device I have illustrated specific meansfor raising and lowering the extensible vertical portion of theconveyer, and for sliding the side of the tube, but I do not confinemyself to that or any other specific mechanism for that purpose. Thevertical portion must be extensible to meet one feature of my invention,and the discharge opening of the swinging tube must be slidable to meetanother feature ot my inI vention, but how the one part is extended orthe other slid is a matter of indiierence so far as this invention isconcerned.

The slidable side is shown and described as the bottom, or under side ofthe tube, but itis obvious that the principle is the same whichever sideis made slidable.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A pneumatic stacker tube having one of its sidesslidable lengthwise with relation to the other sides, such slidable sidebeing provided with a discharge opening.

2. A pneumatic stacker tube having one of its sides slidable lengthwisewith relation to the other sides, such slidable side being provided witha discharge opening and an end closure.

3. A pneumatic stacker tube comprising a body arched in cross section,and a tlat side forming a chord with the arch of the body, such flatside being slidable lengthwise of the body and provided with a dischargeopening and an end closure.

4. 'A pneumatic stacker tube comprising a bod y composed of two partsflanged vertically and secured together through the flanges, and abottom slidable in the body and provided with a discharge opening.

5. A pneumatic stacker tube comprising a body arched in cross sectionand flanged at its sides, and a bottom provided with a discharge openingand flanged at its sides to obtain slidable bearings on the flanges ofthe body.

6. A pneumatic stacker comprising a fan, a vertical extensible tubeconnected with the fan, and a swinging tube connected with the upper endof the vertical extensible tube, substantially as set forth.

7. A pneumatic stacker comprising a fan in the lower part of the rearend of a thrasher, a turn-table in the bottom of the thrasher and aroundthe discharge of the fan, a frame rising from the turn-table, extendingabove the top of the thrasher and having lateral bearing therein, avertical tube portion over the discharge opening of the fan and insidethe vertical frame, such vertical tube portion being longitudinallyextensible, and a swin ging tube hinged to the pper en of the 'eXtensi-Yotaliy with the upper end of the vertical tube, 1o ble tube,substantially as set forth. substantially as set forth.

8. A pneumatic stacker comprising a fan in In testimony whereof I signmy name in the the lowe' part of the rear end of a thrasher, a presenceof two subscribing Witnesses. 5 turn-tab e in the bottom of the thrasherand around the discharge of the fan, a tube rising t WILLIAM A' IHNKLE'from the turn-table, extending above the top Attest: of the thrasher andhaving lateral bearing D. P. KELLER, therein, and a swinging tubeconnected. piv- E. S. MCDONALD.

